Daily News Roundup – 4 May 2020

UMR poll
Matt McCarten (E-Tangata): Jacinda Ardern’s rising tide
Tova O’Brien (Newshub): Poll won’t roll Simon Bridges but that doesn’t mean he’s safe
Henry Cooke (stuff): How much has Covid-19 truly changed politics?
Heather du Plessis-Allan (Newstalk ZB): National has a difficult decision to make
Pattrick Smellie (BusinessDesk): National plunges into danger zone for Bridges in latest UMR polling (paywalled)
Jane Patterson (RNZ): Leaked poll shows big jump for Labour
Jason Walls (Herald): A leaked poll shows National has dropped below 30 per cent, and Labour at 55 per cent
Tova O’Brien and Zane Small (Newshub): National drops below 30 percent in new poll as Jacinda Ardern’s approval skyrockets

Government
Hamish Rutherford (Herald): Time for the Government to open up to more scrutiny of lockdown decisions (paywalled)
Wyatt Creech (Pundit): No Public Policy Is Costless.
Audrey Young (Herald): Winston Peters sends Ardern a message as political constraints loosen (paywalled)
Heather du Plessis-Allan (Herald): Wily Winston Peters giving Jacinda Ardern a headache (paywalled)
Claire Trevett (Herald): Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern’s crisis handling – were we hoodwinked for our own good? And the power of words (paywalled)
1News: Inside Parliament: How NZ is ‘beating the crap’ out of Covid-19
Mike Houlahan (ODT): Clark caught up in ‘movergate’
Dan Satherley (Newshub): Judith Collins calls David Clark the ‘Phil Twyford of this year’
Andrew Little (Taranaki Daily News): Now is not the time to relax, let’s finish the job of beating Covid-19
Ruwani Perera (The Hui): Marama Davidson’s journey from activist to politician

Contact tracing, testing
Charlotte Cook (RNZ): Woman on flight with Covid-19 case contacted by tracing team 4.5 weeks later
OASIS: COVID-19: Tracking and Tracing Apps in NZ
John Roughan (Herald) The threat of contact tracing (paywalled)
RNZ: Ensuring people show up for Covid-19 testing biggest challenge – Clark
Leigh-Marama McLachlan (RNZ): Iwi health services on major mission to test more M?ori
Maddison Northcott and Steven Walton (Stuff): Govt has no plans to use rapid antibody testing as ‘not reliable’

Lockdown legality
Juana Atkins (BFD): Government and Police Lockdown Actions NOT Legally Supported
Barry Soper (Newstalk ZB): Legality of police action during covid 19 coronavirus lockdown questioned in legal quarters
Sasha Borissenko (Herald): Was the lockdown illegal? (paywalled)
Reweti Kohere (NBR): High Court upholds Bloomfield’s lockdown order (paywalled)

Community roadblocks, rahui
1News: Northland iwi ends lockdown community-led roadblocks
Steve Elers (Stuff): Iwi-run coronavirus checkpoints are a nonsense but police aren’t stopping them
Deena Coster (Taranaki Daily News): Iwi checkpoint data shows non-compliance with level 3 travel restrictions
Charlotte Jones: Murupara checkpoints at centre of ‘vigilante’ stoush
Kereama Wright (Maori TV): Taupo hapu’s rahui is to protect not penalise

Level 3 breaches – fastfood, tangi, parties
Phil Pennington and William Ray (RNZ): Fast food workers speak up about feeling unsafe due to level 3 breaches
Alison Mau (Stuff): Sacrificing fastfood workers in our coronavirus Hunger Games
Stuff: People not adhering to social distancing getting Friday night takeaways
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Cate Broughton (Stuff): Tangi attracts 100, as some wh?nau stay home due to Covid-19 rules
Mark Quinlivan (Newshub): Grant Robertson says more than 100 people attending tangi in Christchurch ‘disappointing’
RNZ: Restrictions on tangi and funerals difficult for Maori
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Lincoln Tan (Herald): Counties Manukau worst offenders for alert level 3 breaches
Herald: 1200 public reports of people breaching the alert level 3 restrictions
Lana Andelane (N NZ Police issue stern warning to gangs breaching COVID-19 response protocol

Level 2
Peter Wilson (RNZ): Week in politics: Getting out of Level 3 might not be so easy
1News: Survey finds Kiwis want an unrushed, considered decision on moving to Level 2
Amelia Wade (Herald): The rules around level 2 to be decided today
1News: Simon Bridges holds steady on leaving Level 3 but health experts disagree
Mark Quinlivan (Newshub): National leader Simon Bridges says New Zealand should be in alert level 2 now
1News: Govt adviser: Next Covid-19 lockdown move might have to be to ‘Level 2.5’
1News: With no detailed guidelines from Govt, some businesses begin to plan for Alert Level 2
RNZ: West Coast’s leaders want region’s lockdown rules relaxed

Infrastructure projects allowed to bypass RMA, environmental concerns
Richard Harman (Politik): Parker’s new fast track RMA law may only be the start
Jo Moir (RNZ): Greens raise concerns about planned law to fast-track resource consents
John Anthony (Stuff): Cabinet approves new legislation to fast-track resource consents and boost economy as it emerges from lockdown
1News: Notoriously slow road projects may move to fast lane under new Covid-19 economic plan
Pattrick Smellie (BusinessDesk): Transmission Gully delayed as govt fast-tracks new big projects (paywalled)
RNZ: Cabinet approves fast tracking of shovel ready projects
Herald: Fast-track consent for ‘shovel-ready’ projects
ODT: Fast-tracking welcomed by Otago Southland Employers’ Association
Charlie Dreaver (RNZ): Shovel-ready projects choice must consider environment – lawyers

Rebuilding NZ
Sue Bagshaw and Phil Bagshaw (Press): We need a new vision, based on co-operation not competition
Stuff: Cohesion among Kiwis threatened post-Covid, say experts
Martin van Beynen (Stuff): Upheavals like Covid-19 don’t change human nature
Paul Buchanan: Thinking of a post-pandemic future

Economy
Liam Dann (Herald): Is it time for another economic revolution? (paywalled)
Hamish Rutherford (Herald): Life under level 3 – Is New Zealand’s economy running at three quarters of capacity? (paywalled)
Michael Reddell: Rebuilding a shattered economy in a post-Covid world
Max Rashbrooke (Stuff): Those left unscathed by the economic crisis must do their part in the recovery
Peter Lyons (ODT): Flat payment misses point of hardship
1News: The Opportunities Party proposes $250 per week universal basic income
Rob Stock (Stuff): Credit data shows shocking rise in financial hardship
Madison Reidy (Newshub): Thousands of Kiwis stop loan repayments as the financial impact of COVID-19 hits
Rob Stock (Stuff): Your country needs you to spend
Rob Stock (Stuff): Consumers must ditch disposable consumption mentality to buy NZ Made
Steve Kilgallon (Stuff): Covid-19 has sparked a ‘Buy NZ Made’ resurgence – will it last?
David Dyson (Stuff): This is why spending local is so important
Michelle Dickinson (Herald): Would economy have fared far better without lockdown?
1News: Global observers praise NZ for squashing Covid-19, but warn economy will pay the price
Daniel Rogers (Democracy Project): Democracy dies where corruption thrives

Business loan bill
Jenée Tibshraeny (Interest): On what was worse than Parliament mistakenly passing a law enabling taxpayers to lend billions to business
Thomas Coughlan (stuff): Parliament passes the wrong law in an afternoon of urgent lawmaking
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1News: Govt steps in to offer small businesses $100k interest-free loans as banks fail to ‘meet needs’
Tom Pullar-Strecker (Stuff): Government offers small firms zero and low-interest loans up to $100,000
Jason Walls (Herald): Government to provide $100,000 interest-free loans to businesses
Pattrick Smellie (BusinessDesk): Govt throws kitchen sink at struggling SMEs but loan guarantee scheme changes detail (paywalled)
Harry Lock (RNZ): ‘Criteria so loose:’ loan plan for SMEs needs to be targeted – National

Business
Blair Ensor and Sam Sherwood (Stuff): Wealthy liqour store barons claim $550k Covid-19 wage subsidy
Damian George (Stuff): Dairies among biggest strugglers as NZ returns to Covid-19 Alert Level 3
Fran O’Sullivan (Herald): NZ’s choice – Surf curve or be crushed (paywalled)
Ben Leahy (Herald): Open NZ as a safe haven to businesses rather than billionaires – columnist
Deena Coster (Taranaki Daily News): Small towns take a hit, but residents say resilience key to recovery
Alice Angeloni (Stuff): Coronavirus to hit ‘harder and deeper’ than Kaiko ura earthquake
John Boynton (Mata Media): Maori Business Models can help Rebuild the Economy
Brian Gaynor (BusinessDesk): Directors want more money for less work (paywalled)

Health system
Michael Morrah (Newshub): Nurses on Waitakere Hospital’s COVID ward say management put patients at risk
Stuff: Nurses on Auckland Covid ward felt bullied, ignored – report
Phil Pennington (RNZ): ‘Beggars belief’ that PPE would fail – Waitemata DHB nurse
RNZ: Caution advised after calls to release Health and Disability System Review
Adam Hollingworth (Newshub): Experts says Ministry of Health not providing enough details on website
1News: Experts call for change to system of reporting Covid-19 cases to keep Kiwis more informed
Mike Houlahan (ODT): Lockdown averted major ICU influx: DHB
Rowan Quinn (RNZ): Southern DHB releases worst-case scenario modelling
1News: Pasifika community have lowest rate of Covid-19 infection in the country – new figures
Richard Davison (ODT): Dentist queries lack of PPE from DHB
1News: DHBs defend charging ‘low’ car park rates for hospital workers despite calls for no fees during Level 3
Chris Keall (Herald): Otago prof’s plan for Air NZ to fix our health system
Alice Taylor (ODT): Lessons from history
1News: NZ doctor who helped fight SARS pandemic in Hong Kong shares lessons learned
Mark Price (ODT): Govt ‘moving’ on vaccine research: scientist
Rowan Quinn (RNZ): Hospitals urged to consider putting off some surgery
Nicholas Jones and Nikki Preston (Herald): Elective surgeries ramping up after 30,000 operations delayed due to lockdown (paywalled)
James Baker (Stuff): ‘New Zealand doesn’t have help juice’ – Pharmac’s decision leaves family stuck abroad

Flu vaccine
1News: ‘Not every New Zealander will get a flu vaccine ‘ – Govt comes clean on supply of flu vaccines
Michael Morrah (Newshub): ‘A complete debacle’: Flu vaccines about to run out despite Government’s claim all Kiwis can get them
1News: Leaked Ministry of Health email reveals NZ facing temporary shortage of flu vaccine
Amelia Wade (Herald): Flu vaccine orders put on hold as ministry waits for more stock

Rest home review, care for elderly
Hamish Cardwell (RNZ): Union worried workers’ voices not being heard in rest home review
1News: Aged care workers not being included in Ministry of Health review, union claims
Michal Boyd, Merryn Gott, Jackie Robinson and Aileen Collier (Newsroom): Care homes: the myths and realities
Sarah Robson (RNZ): More support needed for the elderly even outside lockdowns

Mental health
Henry Cooke (Stuff): Mental Health Foundation and police push back on suicide spike rumour, says there is ‘no evidence’ rate has increased
Dan Satherley (Newshub): Mental Health Foundation shuts down ‘irresponsible’ suicide claims being made on social media
Dubby Henry (Herald): ‘No evidence’ suicide rate up during lockdown
Susan Strongman (RNZ): Working at helplines a relief for some during Covid-19

Employment
Susan Edmunds (Stuff): How many unemployed? We’ll have to wait to find out
RNZ: Goodbye to crowded offices, new work spaces in store post lockdown

Cannabis referendum
RNZ: Lower THC limit needed under proposed cannabis regime – Drug Foundation
Dan Satherley and Hayley Jacobsen (Newshub): Proposed cannabis legislation strikes ‘really good balance’ – NORML
Collette Devlin (Stuff): Government reveals cannabis referendum legalisation details
RNZ: Govt reveals final cannabis legislation to be voted on in referendum
Anna Bracewell-Worrall (Newshub): What Kiwis can and can’t do if cannabis is legalised
Press Editorial: Cannabis could soon be legalised in New Zealand, and it’s up to voters
Derek Cheng (Herald): Reeferendum: Don’t like weed? Why that shouldn’t be a factor in how you vote (paywalled)
Anna Bracewell-Worrall (Newshub): What Kiwis can and can’t do if cannabis is legalised

Universities
Brittany Keogh (Stuff): Auckland Uni lecturer says work-for-free request ‘a kick in the guts’
Chloe Blommerde (Waikato Times): Waikato University breaks the chain as they stop accommodation charges for empty rooms during Covid-19 lockdown
Hamish Cardwell (RNZ): University students continue to pay for rooms inaccessible in lockdown
Vita Molyneux (Stuff): Victoria University of Wellington backtracks on charging students for unoccupied rooms
RNZ: Hipkins announces $20m fund to help tertiary students to learn online
1News: Government announces $20m Covid-19 fund for tertiary students to access devices, internet
Susan Edmunds (Stuff): Promoting NZ universities to the world ‘could help save economy’
Eric Crampton (Stuff): From deficit-mindsets to academic surpluses

Schools
1News: Covid-19 school closures ‘won’t have a lasting impact’ on students, says Education Minister
Katy Jones (Stuff): Businesses are illegally employing students during school hours, principals say
Natalie Akoorie and Chris Marriner (Herald): Furious parents speak out over cancelled trips

Foreign affairs and trade
Dan Satherley (Newshub): Why Winston Peters isn’t afraid to upset China with COVID-19 inquiry
Keith Woodford (Interest): Why and how did China’s markets become so important for New Zealand?
Mark Price and Vaughan Elder (ODT): Asia bubble mooted
Dan Satherley (Newshub): Winston Peters not keen on including China in Asia-Pacific COVID-19 ‘bubble’
ODT Editorial: Bubble plan worth floating

Auckland Council
Todd Niall (Stuff): Cash-strapped lobbyists spend $12,000 publishing council ‘rich list’
Todd Niall (Stuff): Lobbyists release names and photos of top-earning Auckland Council executives
Herald: Auckland Council salaries: 86 officials earn more than $250,000 – Auckland Ratepayers’ Alliance
1News: Campaign group’s ‘rich list’ claims seven Auckland Council staff paid more than Prime Minister
Todd Niall (Stuff): Covid-19 shows us our priorities are no longer as urgent as they seemed
Bernard Orsman (Herald): Auckland Council lends a helping hand while assessing its own financial needs

Local government
Dominic Harris (Stuff): ‘Heads stuck in the sand’ – fury over warning not to offer coronavirus rates relief
Charlotte Jones: Whakatane locals petition for safer streets
Hamish Cardwell (RNZ): Complex sewerage pipe work to begin next week
Rebecca Ryan (ODT): Zero rates rise would come at a cost, Waimate mayor says
Luisa Girao (ODT): PSA and Invercargill City Council to meet over pay-cut plan
Cherie Sivignon (Stuff): Motueka by-election: Voting papers awaited

Tourism
Caley Callahan and Vita Molyneux (Newshub): No guarantee domestic tourism will be allowed under COVID-19 alert level 2 – Grant Robertson
Felix Desmarais: Tourism isn’t dead – Rotorua Lakes Council’s domestic tourism hopes
Joanne Holden (Stuff): Mackenzie mayor attacks hotel closures and tourism job cuts

Media
Kelly Dennett (Stuff): ‘Political muckraker’ Tova O’Brien: ‘Take a step back before you have a go’
The Great Debate: Mike Hosking Debates Against Himself on COVID-19 Response
RNZ: Mediawatch: Eyes on NZ on Air under new management
Mihingarangi Forbes (Newshub): How M?ori media will prove vital in the future
Anuja Nadkarni (Stuff): MediaWorks sets up $20m advertising fund for SMEs Covid-19 relief
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Transport
John Anthony (Stuff):Cargo flights could be used to repatriate Kiwis stuck overseas
RNZ: Another 50 cargo flights a week, to and from New Zealand
Stuff: Physical distancing at airports ‘impossible’, Heathrow chief says
Harry Lock (RNZ): Wellington public transport may not meet level 2 demand
Georgina Campbell (Herald): Almost 100 Transmission Gully workers no longer in NZ
Katarina Williams (Stuff): Transmission Gully project ‘likely’ pushed out to 2021
Aaron van Delden: Resoration of rail link ‘high risk’ – KiwiRail
Dave Kearns (ODT): Hasty move disservice to workers, community

Repatriation
RNZ: New Zealanders still stuck abroad hope for extra repatriation flights
Amelia Wade (Herald): Desperate Kiwis in South Africa write letter to Jacinda Ardern asking for help

Welfare
1News: Government doubles Winter Energy Payments for low-income families, over 1m Kiwis to benefit
Matthew Mckew (ODT): Welfare agency contacts 65 more foreign nationals

Housing
Paul Mitchell (Stuff): Tenant advocacy groups call for increased protection for boarders amidst coronavirus crisis
Hamish MacLean (ODT): Call to address housing
George Block (Stuff): Heroic work to help homeless in coronavirus lockdown

Election candidates
Aroha Mane (Maori TV): Two wahine Maori announce their stand in M?ori electorates
Maori TV: Maori Party announce Hauraki-Waikato candidate
John Lewis (ODT): Labour’s Taieri candidate confirms lockdown location
Zane Small (Newshub): National puts up virus expert to contest Science Minister Megan Woods’ electorate

Other
Charlie Mitchell (Stuff): Fish and Game ‘imploding’ as Government plans intervention
Mihingarangi Forbes (The Hui): Jacinda Ardern explains what the Government’s doing to help M?ori during the pandemic
Steve Kilgallon (Stuff): Booze, lockdown and Kiwi drinkers in the Covid-19 era
1News: Helen Clark: Women leaders better in Covid-19 crisis ‘because they don’t have such big egos’
1News: Struggling nonprofit that employs disabled Kiwis has overnight turnaround after plight revealed
John Stenhouse and Takashi Shogimen (Newsroom): Why Kiwis embraced lockdown so willingly
Andrea Vance (Stuff): Expats feel the pull of home in time of crisis
Edward Gay (Stuff): Transgender prisoner spent three weeks in men’s prison
Anne Gibson (Herald): Hunting mysterious billionaire bunkers: Big business or bunkum? (paywalled)
Kate Green (Stuff): Construction sites have stacks of new rules, but how tenable are they?
Eleisha Foon (RNZ): Spike in racism during pandemic, Human Rights Commission reports
Dale Husband (E-Tangata): Alan Wendt: The Interpreter
Kirkpatrick Mariner (E-Tangata): Just to ‘kia-ora-fy’ is to fall well short
1News: Funeral directors call for immediate rule change so more people can farewell loved ones during lockdown
John Mckenzie (1News): The ‘curve crusher’: Dr Ashley Bloomfield becomes the face of fashion brand